Positive effects of tourism

Creates employment opportunities for local people

Promotes cultural awareness and can help preserve local culture and traditions

Income from tourists can be used to develop local infrastructure and services e.g. new roads and airports. In less economically developed countries, money can be spent on developing access to education, clean water and sanitation

Foreign currency can help local people

Natural features that attract tourists in the first place can be protected using income from tourism

Negative effects of tourism

Tourism can have a negative environmental impact. This is at a range of scales. The increase in air travel has contributed towards increased carbon dioxide emissions. On a local level natural features that attract tourists are themselves under threat due to human actions.

Often local people are employed in low skill, poorly paid work in unsatisfactory working conditions

Travel agents, airline companies and hoteliers benefit more than local companies when holidays are booked to destinations in LEDC’s (Less Economically Developed Countries) companies based in MEDC’s (More Economically Developed Countries) set up luxury hotels in LEDC’s. The profits usually return to MEDCs. They also create more competition for locally run guest houses, restaurants and shops.

Hotels use local services and add a large premiums to the cost of the services. This causes the hotel guest’s expectations of the local service to be much greater and the provider ends up supplying more for less profit

We in the Azores need tourism and everyone I know embraces the idea of more tourists and the benefits they bring. However, many of us fear the environmental impact it may have if it is not controlled and regulated.